'Sharon Tate: Recollection' by Debra Tate shows an actress on the rise

Sharon Tate with David Niven on the set of "Eye of the Devil," 1966. (Margaret Herrick Library / AMPAS)

The brutal murder of Sharon Tate and four others on Aug. 9, 1969, by followers of Charles Manson under his direction have overshadowed her life and burgeoning film career. Her sister Debra Tate hopes to change that with her recently published "Sharon Tate: Recollection."

The lavish coffee table book is a valentine to the actress ("The Fearless Vampire Killers," "Valley of the Dolls") and fashion icon who at 26 was on her way to major stardom.

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Regarded as one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood, Tate was married to red-hot director Roman Polanski and was about to give birth to their first child.

Besides a foreword by Polanski and Tate's own quotes, "Recollection" features stunning photographs of Tate by David Bailey, Milton Greene, Terry O'Neill and Neal Barr and both memories of Tate from the likes of the late David Niven, Warren Beatty, Jane Fonda, Joan Collins and Lee Grant.